Up Next on Lightning Lessons: Anneke Jong (Vice President of Business Development, Bread)

A new series where we sit down with our next Lightning Lessons speaker and learn a little more about them.

By Lauren Kim (Events Coordinator, Women 2.0)

This week, Anneke Jong, Vice President of Business Development for Bread, a tech startup (previously used by Lady Gaga) that monetizes social media, desktop and mobile content, sits down to tell us more about herself. Read on to learn what radio shows keep her inspired, what she’d ask her role model, C.J. Cregg from the West Wing, and what she expects to change in 2020. To hear what other lessons Anneke has for new founders, watch the video above!

What is the one thing you wish you knew at the start of your entrepreneurial journey?

Entrepreneurship is a wild ride — you will fully experience all the highs and lows. Some days you’ll feel like a complete failure, but other days you’ll feel like you’re going to win the Nobel Prize. Stay grounded through the ups and downs, and surround yourself with business partners and mentors who will provide balance through the experience.

What do you love most about your job?

The ability to make something from nothing and solve real problems in the marketplace. Whenever a customer tells me that my product or service has added value to their lives, I am reminded why I love entrepreneurship.

What is your favorite or most inspiring book that you would recommend to founders (and why)?

I’m not very good at making time to read, but I always make time for my favorite public radio shows. I recommend NPR’s “Fresh Air” because the host Terry Gross is one of the most talented interviewers on the planet. Her show is rich with insights from today’s most interesting minds. I also can’t live without “This American Life” — a storytelling show that keeps me informed and creative while feeding my hunger for smart entertainment.

Where is the one place you go to relax and get away from the pressures of startup life?

In New York, you’ll find me at Yoga Vida on Broadway relaxing through a vinyasa. In California, you’ll find me at In-n-Out Burger relaxing through a double double with grilled onions.

Who is your greatest role model and what would you ask them if you could meet her or him for coffee?

C.J. Cregg from seasons 1-4 of The West Wing. I would ask her what role humor played in her ability to maintain strength, credibility, and rapport in a male-dominated environment.

What do you envision the future will look like in the year 2020?

Hopefully, asking someone “Do you have a digital strategy?” will seem woefully outdated. It will just be called “strategy” by then.

“We perpetuate a lie when we say that being smart and working hard are all you need to be successful. Behind every success story is a true story about getting help or getting lucky. Mentors should be generous with their authentic stories and offer to help, and mentees should be open to opportunities to receive both.”

What is Lightning Lessons?

Lightning Lessons is a weekly, Wednesday morning, live broadcast where Women 2.0 sits down with a tech innovator to learn about the game-changing stories of their startup journey and the hard lessons they learned along the way. Take a quick 10 minutes out of your day to learn from the mistakes and feats of your predecessors. Innovators jump in a Google Hangout On Air moderated by a Women 2.0 team member for a bit of story-time and the entire session is broadcast on Google+ for your viewing pleasure. See the full lineup of past and upcoming speakers, and catch up on last week’s session with Aye Moah (Co-Founder & Chief of Product, Baydin)

Read on to learn a little more about our upcoming Lightning Lessons #7 speaker.

Anneke Jong, Vice President of Business Development, Bread

Anneke Jong (@annekejong) is on the founding team and is Vice President of Business Development for Bread, a tech startup creating the simplest monetization platform for social media, desktop, and mobile publishers. She is also a tech / digital media columnist and journalist — her work is featured in publications like Forbes, The Daily Muse, Huffington Post, Business Insider, CBS.com, and Women 2.0, and at events like TED, the Future of Media Conference, and SF Music Tech. In 2011, Femmeonomics named her one of the Top 50 Women to Watch in Tech. Additionally, she delights audiences as a performance storyteller and has performed at The Moth, TEDx, the National Storytelling Conference, and on the NPR show “Snap Judgment”. She has an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.

What questions will you be asking Anneke?

Lauren Kim (@LaurenJisoo) currently serves as the Events Coordinator at Women 2.0. Lauren holds a B.A. in Development Studies (study of developing nations) from U.C. Berkeley and graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and women’s issues. In her spare time, she competes in hackathons and snowboards.